A strange little side quest
The mechanics around Ben10: Hero Time have roots that stretch far beyond modern browsers. By 1987, fantasy role-playing had become a major computer-game direction, with Zelda, licensed Dungeons & Dragons games and other story-led adventures expanding the form. There is another connection worth keeping in the same mental pocket: Pong was field-tested in California bars in 1972 and helped launch the modern arcade-game era. The screen is modern; the urge to test skill, pattern and timing definitely is not.
